Psalm 31:21 “Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city.”

[More than once David was trapped in a city by his enemies  (1 Sam. 23:7-13), but each time, in the midst of David’s danger, you, Lord, defended him, you acted to keep him safe when all seemed lost, when humanly speaking he appeared to have no way out.

So you do with us, when we are trapped by tragedy or loss, negativity or evil, difficulty or destruction (such as Barbara’s 6-year-long depression that finally ended in 2018), you are there, and you show us your wonderful love by giving us a way out. You encouraged us to trust and press on, and in the end you came through.]

To paraphrase Psalm 46:5, God is within us, we will not fall, He promises to help us at break of day–that is, after the longest, coldest part of the night.

You are the God of hope, who stands ready to “fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in you so that our lives can overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Help us to consistently trust before your help comes.]